SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – American Ballet Theatre's acclaimed Studio Company, a small classical company of 12 young dancers of outstanding potential, will perform in Mount Holyoke College's Kendall Sports and Dance Complex on Friday, November 21 and Saturday, November 22. Performances will be at 8 PM both days, with a 2 PM matinee on Saturday. Tickets are $15 for the general public and $7 for students and seniors, and reservations can be made by calling 538-2848 or emailing dance-reservations@mtholyoke.edu.

The repertoire will be chosen from Continuo by Antony Tudor; The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude by William Forsythe; Tea and Temptation by Brian Reeder; Oblivion by Jessica Lang; and a new ballet by Peter Quanz.

In its seventh season, the Studio Company prepares young dancers to enter American Ballet Theatre and provides opportunities for the emergence of new and established choreographers and composers. Through in-school performances, lecture-demonstrations, and academic residencies, the ABT Studio Company brings the excitement of close contact with a professional company into communities around the country.

"This is an exciting young company with beautifully trained and dedicated dancers," said Rose Flachs, MHC associate professor of dance. "Their mixed repertory program promises work by world renowned choreographers. I'm confident this stunning company of young men and women will leave the audience in awe, as is evident in the determination, strength, and grace they weave throughout their performance work. They are a state-of-the-art touring company bringing the best of ballet to wherever they perform."

The dancers (ages 16-20) are handpicked from around the world by the artistic staff of American Ballet Theatre. Studio Company dancers will train in the program for one or two years before joining American Ballet Theatre’s main company or other leading national and international professional companies. The New York Times calls ABT’s Studio Company dancers “Well-trained and willing. They perform with an appealing blend of freshness and individual presence,” while the Star-Ledger says, “The American Ballet Theatre Studio Company delights audiences with its youthful vigor and panache. These dancers are firecrackers!”